G4TV

Released alongside a related PS2 Astro Boy game, Astro Boy: Omega Factor for the Game Boy Advance actually manages to one-up its more technologically advanced big brother. The one-two punch of Hitmaker and Treasure has delivered a game that feels like a long lost, undiscovered Genesis title. And we mean that as a compliment.

The game kicks off with a brief tutorial that teaches you all you need to know about Astro Boy's moves. And given their variety, it's a big help. Astro has four basic abilities: jump, punch, kick and finger laser. These are augmented by three special "EX attacks," which include the EX dash, arm cannon, and shot. You gain power on your EX gauge to perform these moves every time you hit an enemy. Astro also has the helpful ability to fly using his jet boots.

While there isn't much flow to the levels themselves, which vary between platforming and side-scrolling stages; they serve the purpose of getting you to the boss battles, of which there are many. These entertaining battles are the core of the game, and getting to frequently employ the powerful EX attacks is a real treat; you'll absolutely need to use them often, and the game allows you to do so. As far as the difficulty level, you may end up dying a lot, but seeing as you have unlimited continues, you’re able to easily try out different strategies for defeating the more difficult areas and bosses.

Astro Boy's abilities are upgraded each time you meet a new character, thereby increasing his “omega factor” and allowing you to choose an upgrade to his life -- punch, laser, shot, jet, or sensor. These strange characters, with nicknames like "Rainbow Rarakeet," pop up often, which won’t mean a whole lot unless you happen to be familiar with the cartoon.

The graphics are vibrant, well-animated, and really do justice to the look of the series on which they're based. Scaling and rotation effects are used in abundance, with large, pixilated enemies often filling the screen with a healthy retro-gaming goodness.

Astro Boy: Omega Factor is the type of game that tends to get over praised since its simplicity and competency are so refreshing. But you don't have to be an Astro Fan-Boy to appreciate the throwback fun of this well-made shooter.